Idea to Innovation grants
The objective of Idea to Innovation (I2I) grants is to accelerate the pre-competitive development of promising technology originating from the university and college sector, and to promote its transfer to a new or established Canadian company.
Grant Deadline
2023-06-23
Funding Amount
$125,000
Type of Grant
Grant
Sectors
All Sectors
Demographics
Incorporation
For Profit
Perks
Region Restriction
This grant is restricted to whole of Canada
Keywords
Age Restriction
This grant is age restricted from 18 to 100
Eligibility and Requirements
Description
There are four distinct funding options, characterized by the maturity of the technology or the involvement of an early stage investment entity or industrial partner (see Partner eligibility for definitions). In the market assessment, NSERC will share costs of an independent and professional market study with the institutions (including the industry liaison office [ILO] or its equivalent). In phase I, the direct costs of research will be entirely supported by NSERC; in phase II, they will be shared with a private-sector partner (company). The technology development may begin with a phase I project (reduction-to-practice stage), followed by a phase II project (technology enhancement); or, if the development is at a later stage, it can start directly with a phase II project. In any case, the combination of phase I and phase II will be limited to a maximum of three years of funding for any given project, and to one grant per phase for the same technology or intellectual property (IP).
Eligible research and development activities include:
- refining and implementing designs
- verifying application
- conducting field studies
- preparing demonstrations
- building prototypes
- performing beta trials
Certain expenditures related to project management are now eligible as a direct cost of research in phase IIb projects, up to a maximum of 10% of the total direct costs.
All proposals must include a technology transfer plan, appropriate to the maturity of the technology, that describes how the work will proceed through the next stages in the validation process up to eventual market entry. The ILO or its equivalent works with the applicant(s) in evaluating and protecting the new technology, service or process; developing proposals; preparing a technology transfer approach; making business contacts; and negotiating licensing or other such arrangements with potential partners. A portion of the award may be used to co-support some of the activities undertaken by the ILO or its equivalent.
Eligible technology transfer activities include:
- consulting fees to develop the strategy to protect the technology’s commercial value
- market investigations
- consulting fees for business plan, market survey, etc.
- business mentoring by experienced entrepreneurs
- sharing of patenting expenses
- expenses associated with creating a partnership (such as travel, etc.)
The institution must justify these expenses for technology transfer activities and commit to covering at least half of their cost. NSERC may provide support up to a maximum of 10% of the total requested amount (i.e., the NSERC contribution will be no more than $12,500 for a $125,000 requested budget). Staff activities are not considered an eligible expense and cannot be used to leverage NSERC funds. Technology transfer expenses related to the proposed technology and incurred previously will not be considered in the cost-sharing of proposed activities.
Market assessment
Market assessment projects are designed to enable institutions to conduct a market study for a product, process or technology they plan to develop. Understanding market potential is crucial when developing a new technology. The market assessment funding option is a tool to help gain impartial market opportunity information and validate important business elements before embarking on the development process for a technology. It can be used to better position a proposed technology in an I2I application (providing the reviewers with a better understanding of the market for a given technology) or to identify the appropriate NSERC program.
The market assessment should precede a phase I proposal, if the applicant and ILO or its equivalent have not yet developed an understanding of the potential market. In certain instances, such as the development of a platform technology, requests for a market assessment can be submitted as a stand-alone proposal at the same time as a phase I application.
The market assessment should objectively establish the size of addressable market segments and present a clear portrait of the competitive landscape.
The market assessment should focus on primary research used to enter into a discussion with potential customers and/or partners (identified with the researcher and ILO) to flesh out their thoughts about the new technology. Essential questions such as the following can be addressed:
- What would be the specific features a potential customer would need?
- How is the technology substantially different and better than existing solutions?
- What do potential customers currently pay to meet the same need?
- Would they buy the technology?
- What is the approximate number they might need?
- What is the estimated value of the technology for the customers?
- What barriers exists?
- Why will customers choose the proposed solutions?
Applicants may wish to consider other relevant questions and outline these in the proposal.
The application should demonstrate what approach, activities and tools (i.e., interviews, surveys, SWOT [strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats] analysis, PEST [political, economic, social and technological]) are planned to address these questions. These studies are to be conducted by an experienced professional such as an outside consulting firm. An offer of service from the consultant listing the scope, deliverables and other relevant elements is required. NSERC will co-support up to 75% of the costs of the project contracted out to a consultant, with the institution providing the balance in cash. (Note that a person employed part-time or full-time at an ILO or its equivalent cannot act as an external consultant on an I2I market assessment project). Funding is available for up to 12 months, with a maximum contribution from NSERC of $15,000.
In a new pilot opportunity, NSERC is partnering with the Lab2Market program to offer teams (researcher and student, supported by their ILO) the chance to assess the commercial potential for their technology. The program is based on successful initiatives elsewhere in the world and consists of a 16-week program to help researchers validate their ideas with the purpose of finding business/commercial value. Funding is available for up to 12 months, with a maximum contribution from NSERC of $20,000, of which $5,000 will be used to pay the Lab2Market consultants, $10,000 will be paid to the Entrepreneurial Lead (student) as a stipend, and $5,000 will be held by the principal investigator for program-related expenses (e.g., travel, mentoring, consultation, etc.). NSERC will assume 100% of the costs of the program, and the grant is non-renewable.
A round of L2M-NSERC grants will be offered for applications submitted to the January 6, 2023 deadline.
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